


Short 32 - Heroes

by stgjr



Series: "The Power of a Name" Series 3 - "Time Lord Penitent" [8]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Multi-Fandom, Superman (Comics)
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Multiple Crossovers, Multiverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-03 00:53:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10956300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stgjr/pseuds/stgjr
Summary: Korra's heroic qualities are put to the test when the TARDIS materializes in a nuclear power plant under attack from the villain Metallo.





	Short 32 - Heroes

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on November 28th, 2014.

As much as I wanted to keep my Companions as safe as possible, sometimes the TARDIS - or simple circumstance - would get other ideas. Therefore I accidentally brought Korra and Asami on a few... unexpected adventures during our time. And there was much running to be had.  
But sometimes running was not an option.  
  
I stepped out of the TARDIS without giving any kind of introduction. I had learned my lesson over the years; don't tempt fate or whatever by openly talking about some pleasant vista or awe-inspiring sight, otherwise you'll stop mid-sentence when you're staring at a horde of ravenous xenomorphs swamping a settlement or some other dire situation that promises imminent danger and loss of life and limb.  
  
On this occasion, I was rewarded for my caution. Instead of the fine sapphire beaches of Jamala we were in a structure. It looked like a plant of some sort, with coolant lines running about, and I could see writing specifying various safety warnings. Yellow lights were circling around us for an alert of some sort. I could hear distant sounds consistant with someone inflicting property damage.  
  
And given the particular trefoil insignia I spied on the wall, this was going on in a nuclear reactor. "Oi," I grumbled. I brought out my sonic screwdriver to scan the environment.  
  
Asami and Korra stepped up behind me. "I've seen that symbol before," Asami said. "Isn't this related to that 'nuclear power' technology you talked about?"  
  
"Yes. We're in a nuclear power plant having an accident of some sort," I answered. "Hrm... no major radiation yet... but I do think there may be a..."  
  
I was rudely interrupted by the wall exploding inward. It wasn't close enough to cause us harm but we did get some drywall and the like rained down on us. I brought my arm up in time to shield my eyes from the fine grains of crushed material that would have blinded me otherwise.  
  
As I brought my arm down I spied a large humanoid robot stomping into the room. With a sweep of his arm he ripped through the coolant lines and sent water spewing everywhere. The radiation in the room spiked. But it already had, the moment the metal monster came in.  
  
Given that his main color outside of metal gray was bright green... well, let's just say the chunk of glowing green rock visible inside his chest was the final tipping point for an identification.  
  
"Metallo," I muttered.  
  
"Who?", Asami asked.  
  
"Criminal or mercenary or whatever who was stuck in a robot body," I explained. "He's fueled by kryptonite, a radioactively charged rock that's the leftovers of a planet that exploded years ago. Prolonged exposure is bad for anyone, but short-term exposure is extremely bad for an acquaintance of mine."  
  
By this point Metallo turned and seemed to notice us. "Ah yes, I've heard of you." The voice he used was vaguely English in accent. "The Doctor, is it?"  
  
"Not much anymore," I answered.  
  
"The Society knows what you did to Thawne," Metallo said. He brought up his arm and a cannon of some sort shifted into place. "I'll be well rewarded for bringing them your carcass."  
  
I activated my sonic first to disrupt Metallo's internal hardware. It did... absolutely nothing.  
  
Bloody deadlock seals.  
  
An emerald beam of light smashed into my chest before I could get my sonic disruptor up. My clothing caught fire from the heat and I definitely endured at least a first degree burn over part of the impact point.  
  
It took me a few moments to get my wits again. I looked up to see ice forming around Metallo. Korra's arms swung about in a Waterbending form, turning the coolant water gushing from the broken pipes into ice to freeze him. Once the ice was formed around his figure she changed stances. I recognized the Earthbending form she adopted. She made several movements but nothing happened.  
  
"Is that all, young lady?", Metallo asked, as if bored.  
  
"He's made of purified alloys, Korra, you can't Metalbend him!", I shouted. I felt the grimace on my face as I got back to my feet, feeling like my chest had been set on fire. Which, granted, it had been.  
  
Korra swapped tactics, turning to Firebending and Airbending, pummeling Metallo with both and trying to knock him off his feet. Unfortunately, Metallo was built for some severe punishment given his usual quarry and neither techniques did much.  
  
Metallo finished breaking out of the ice as Korra started Earthbending again, summoning up a thick wall of stone from the ground beneath us to stop him. He was already in mid-leap when the wall finished emerging. It exploded with a loud and angry rumble and sent chunks of earth flying toward us. Korra grunted as one scraped across her bare left shoulder, drawing blood, and another smacked her in the ribs. She readied to counterattack as Metallo charged.  
  
And she froze up. I could see the stiffness in her posture that came with the anxiety attacks she could suffer in combat. "Korra!", I screamed, hoping to snap her out of it before Metallo could land a punch.  
  
Asami jumped in from the side, clambering onto Metallo's back and unbalancing him just enough that Korra could stumble backwards out of his intended blow. I rushed to her and put checked her wounds. Nothing serious. Her blue eyes were wide with paralyzing fear. I cursed our luck at getting drawn into this.  
  
Asami's glove crackled and surged electricity into Metallo. He growled in irritation and swung around, trying to grab her while Asami shifted her weight and position on his back to try to avoid his arms. In what seemed to be an inspired moment, Metallo turned and brought himself into a rushing geyser of water from one of the burst coolant lines. The electricity coursed over him, but it also coursed through the water.  
  
The water that was now covering Asami as well.  
  
Asami cried out in pain and went limp. She hid the floor with a thud.  
  
Freed of that distraction, Metallo turned back to us... just as I brought up my sonic disruptor. "We know how to block your devices, Doctor," Metallo informed me candidly. "I have the proper sealing systems to prevent you from doing anything to my hardware or software."  
  
"Oh really?" I shrugged. "How about we try this?"  
  
With a command through the neural interface, I maxed out the capacitor output on the sonic disruptor and set it to Setting 4, narrow effect. Metallo's gun arm came back up, but I was faster this time. An invisible wave of kinetic energy came from my sonic disruptor's tip as it lit up with purple light, giving off its customary loud whirring sound. It slammed into Metallo with all of the kinetic energy the disruptor could put out. So much that it overwhelmed my recoil compensators and nearly tore the disruptor out of my grasp.  
  
The impact was enough. Metallo flew like he'd been struck by a cannonball. He slammed through the far wall and out into the open air of the nuclear power plant, crashing into a utility shed that promptly collapsed on him.  
  
For my part, I gasped and rubbed at my bicep from the strain I'd just gone through. I looked to where Asami had fallen and to where Korra was getting back up. Since Asami wasn't moving yet I rushed to her side and scanned with my sonic. She was hurt. But not badly so. Thankfully not. Electrical burns on a few exposed parts of her hand and neck and bruising from where she hit the ground, mostly.  
  
Korra got to our side and began collecting the coolant water to use for waterbending healing. "Help her," I said.  
  
"What are you going to do?", Korra asked. I could see that she looked upset. No, not just that; it was shame, easily recognized.  
  
"Keep Metallo busy," I replied. "Until help comes."  
  
"Who can help fight that thing?", she asked.  
  
"Oh, plenty of people." I held up the sonic. Its tip was lit up but its whirring sound was not audible now. At least not to Korra; I could hear it a bit. "And one in particular who should be showing up any second, if he's close enough. But I'll be making sure of that first. Just stay with Asami, alright? Make sure she's okay."  
  
Korra nodded, but I could see she was still upset from freezing up. I gave her a wink before heading out of the hole in the wall into the open sunlight. The power plant's giant towers and reactor housing loomed to my right, the perimeter wall and more structures to my left. Ahead of me the utility shed began to shake. Metallo emerged from the rubble and started shooting his Kryptonite energy laser again. I deflected the blast with the sonic disruptor's setting 42 shield. He stood to his full height and poured the energy on, taking step after step toward me as I put my weight into holding the blast back. The strain on my arms grew by the second. But if I let go, another blast would do more than singe me.  
  
And all the while Metallo grew closer and closer, keeping me stationary with his energy cannon's continuous beam while he got into range to strike at me physically. "What are you doing here anyway?", he asked in irritation. "You're not one of them. You're not a cape."  
  
"Not much one for capes, yes," I replied, my voice strained. "But I'm not one to let maniacs irradiate cities either."  
  
"You know you can't stop me. You're not a fighter."  
  
"No." I smirked. "That's why I called one." I held up my sonic screwdriver with my free hand. The tip was still blinking purple to indicate it was in operation. "Ultra high frequency sonic pulse. I'm sure you know who can hear this one."  
  
Metallo laughed. "Let him come. I'm...."  
  
There was a blur of blue that crossed my vision. It slammed into Metallo and he flew backward yet again, through the utility shed he'd destroyed before and then into the building behind it. With the beam terminated I was able to lower my arm. I rubbed at it.  
  
There should have been a fanfare. Seriously. Kal-El - Superman, I mean - landed in front of me, arms crossed, cape fluttering in the wind. The quintessential Superman pose. "Kal-El, glad you could make it."  
  
"Doctor." He answered me with a nod. "Passing through town?"  
  
"More like an unexpected stop," I answered, walking up to stand beside him. I looked at him carefully. Everyone knew what I'd done during the rampage of the Time Lord Triumphant, specifically what I'd done to Eobard Thawne a.k.a. the Reverse-Flash, and I expected some sign of uncertainty from the Man of Steel.  
  
He didn't flinch. He didn't show a single sign of ill feeling toward me. "Thanks for calling me in and stalling him."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Metallo got back to his feet and eyed us both. "Well isn't this a treat? Two prized heads instead of one."  
  
"I have a radiation shield setting," I said in a low, sub-audible whisper that only Kal-El could hear. "I'll try to contain his Kryptonite core if he opens it up."  
  
I received a nod of understanding as a reply.  
  
Of course, plans rarely survive contact with the enemy. Metallo quickly proved that with his plans. He took shots at us that I absorbed with my sonic disruptor. He dodged Kal-El's heat beams and brought his weapon over and fired.  
  
Green light speared the reactor building. Material crumbled away, bits of concrete and graphite and twisted lead. "There are still dozens of people in this plant," Metallo pointed out. "And how many hundreds, thousands, live downwind of this place?"  
  
"Can you contain the radiation?" Kal-El asked me.  
  
"Should be able to."  
  
"Then I'll deal with Metallo." And like that, he was off, fists flying, dodging around Metallo's shots and striking the robot with solid punches. Metallo gave up on energy blasts and started punching back.  
  
I turned away from that fight and ran to the reactor building. Radiation levels were not very high at the moment. Metallo's shot hadn't quite penetrated the reactor housing itself. I still had time.  
  
I was joined at this point by Korra, who glided over to me on a rock slide made by Earthbending. She glanced to where Metallo and Superman were exchanging blows and her eyes widened. "He's flying?"  
  
"Among many other talents," I said. "Listen, I need your help. Can your metalbending effect lead?"  
  
"Uh... I think so." She looked to the metal scraps around us and made some motions. Pieces of lead came off the ground. "It looks like it. Why lead, though?"  
  
"It inhibits radiation," I answered. "And graphite is a naturally-occurring semi-metal alloy, you should be able to bend that as well even if it's synthetic. I need you to repair that breach in the reactor structure while I contain the radiation. Use as much of the debris as you can."  
  
"Radiation? Isn't it that energy that almost killed your friend Nerys?"  
  
"Yes, yes it was. Thankfully this is not as bad. I can contain it with my disruptor. Ready?"  
  
Korra nodded. I drew up the sonic disruptor and set it to shield the break in the reactor structure. Korra went to work with the broken and blasted remains of the structure.  
  
All the while battle raged behind us. I couldn't see what was going on. I heard metal and Kryptonian-strong flesh clashing and the cries and grunts of effort from Kal-El. Crumbling sounds came as one or the other was knocked into a building.  
  
Metallo must have realized his situation would become grave if the repairs were completed and the crew had time to secure the reactors. I had little warning before all of Korra's hard work was undone. Kal-El flew back into the repair work with enough force to destroy it. Even worse, though, was that he hit with enough force to further the damage and crack the reactor housing. Even with the reactor shut down, the radioactive elements within would still leak radiation into the air.  
  
"What?!" Korra turned and made an Earthbending motion, summoning a wall of earth. A powerful green energy beam blasted it apart. The remnant energy slammed into her and sent her flying as well. She slammed into the structure and toppled over.  
  
I turned at that point. "Maniac!", I shouted. "You're going to kill hundreds of people!"  
  
"You have heard the saying about eggs and omelets, right?" Metallo leveled his weapon at me next. I caught the blast with my deflector shield setting. But that meant I wasn't using my shield to hold back the radiation. "You really come off as naive when you say things like that."  
  
I suppose he had a point. But it didn't mean I was wrong. About him being a maniac, especially.  
  
Getting shot by a kryptonite-fueled energy blast meant Kal-El took longer to get back up. Korra recovered first. I saw a fierce look cross her face. "That's enough!", she shouted.  
  
And I felt the energy in the air shift as she entered the Avatar State.  
  
With a movement of her arm a powerful gust of wind knocked Metallo's feet out from under him. Blasts of fire pummeled him with enough force to throw him back. Korra brought up an arm and a large chunk of earth ripped out from under Metallo's feet. He cried out in startlement and toppled over, falling into the hole left by the earth beneath. Korra's glowing eyes focused on him and she began to drop the earth on him.  
  
And then she froze.  
  
I could sense something was wrong when she did. For a moment she seemed to recoil. And then she contorted and the white lights vanished from her eyes. The earth came down again, but Metallo had the moment he needed to fire off the jets built into his feet. Under twin plumes of flame he rose into the air, narrowly avoiding the earth chunk that was crashing down, and slammed into Korra in mid-air. He forced her down and she cried out in pain. Given the impact point I was certain he'd broken at least two ribs.  
  
I tried to intervene with a sonic disruptor blast. Metallo was forced off of her before he could shoot her. He stared at me for a moment. "Doctor, you seem to be forgetting something," he said calmly.  
  
I narrowed my eyes... and then remembered what I had been doing. The radiation from the reactor would be.... oh yes. I saw the readings. It was spiking now that the containment housing had been damaged and torn open. If I didn't get my shield back over it lethal radiation would be the result, and with all of the dust and debris from the fight....  
  
If that debris got irradiated before being blown away, fallout would spread for _miles_.  
  
Of course, if I did go back to shielding the reactor, Metallo would kill Korra. And then me. Good odds of that.  
  
"Contain the reactor!"  
  
I turned my head and saw Kal-El rise from the rubble. "I've got this," he assured me. He took off, rushing toward Metallo before he could bring his foot down on Korra's head. I heard their collision as I turned back to the reactor and used the sonic disruptor to seal the reactor core with an energy shield. There were more sounds of battle.  
  
And then Kal-El began groaning between punches. I turned my head enough to see the green light coming from Metallo. He had opened his chest cavity, directly exposing Superman to the energies of his kryptonite power cell. "This time you're not getting a reprieve," I heard the metal man insist. "This time you get to soak up the kryptonite's radiation until you simply _stop_."  
  
I couldn't quite see. I knew Kal-El would be struggling to get up. But if that cell was fresh and laden with kryptonite radiation... he would be as weak as a kitten. I heard blows; undoubtedly a beating being administrated by Metallo to his long-time foe. "It feels like Christmas. You, the Time Lord, and now I can drag that girl to the Society and see if she's worth anything. I'm sure they can find uses for her."  
  
"No you won't..." I could hear the defiance in Kal-El's voice. I switched hands and turned as much as I could with my whole body to look. He was struggling to his feet and tried to throw a punch. Metallo caught it and began squeezing Kal-El's knuckles, eliciting a moan of pain. He drove the enfeebled Kryptonian back to his knees. "I'll stop you."  
  
"Go ahead, keep saying that. I savor it." He looked to me with malice in his shining green eyes, quite an accomplishment for an emotionless robot face. "And you'll be next, Doctor."  
  
I tried to think of what else I could do. I put my free hand into my pockets. If I had something I could use as a communicator, to contact one of Kal-El's comrades, then maybe I could get help in time to make a difference. I felt a phone and promptly put my sonic screwdriver into my mouth, using my teeth to grip it while I reached for the phone. I brought it out and....  
  
....and Metallo promptly shot my hand, making me drop the phone. A second shot at my feet fried it.  
  
"I don't think so," he said. He turned his attention back to Kal-El, now on all fours and looking ready to fall over. "Any moment now. Any moment..."  
  
There was a sharp clang. The shining green light in Metallo's chest vanished behind a barrier of solid dark metal. "Wh-what?!", he stammered.  
  
Korra was back to her feet. Her clothes were scorched. Her left arm was showing a burn and her face was twisted with effort and pain. She moved her hands around and more lead debris shot up from the ground, pummeling Metallo and adding to the barrier she'd put over his core. A chunk of lead wedged itself into his energy weapon attachment. He looked down and I could hear a snarl from his voice synthesizer. "Oh, very clever." He gripped at the lead to try and rip it out. Korra's hands made gripping motions and she made a pushing motion. The lead reacted, causing shrieks of protest from material as it was forcibly wedged into Metallo's chest cavity. "Stop it!", Metallo demanded. He brought up the weapon arm and fired. The lead obstacle plugging the front melted from the attack, but was just big enough that while it melted partially, it didn't get removed. Indeed, the flash-melting and resulting cooling affixed it to the barrel of the weapon. "Well, if you insist."  
  
Korra sucked in a breath, focused, and adopted a defensive posture.  
  
Metallo lunged at her. Before his fist could strike her, Korra jumped over him with an Airbending somersault. She twisted around in mid-air and in a smooth motion created a spike of rock that slammed into, well... it was a good thing for Metallo that he was a robot. The blow disrupted his balanced and he toppled forward, barely recovering. Korra's arms lifted and rock erupted from the soil around him, encasing Metallo up to his head. He growled with effort and broke free. By the time he turned Korra was ready and another lunge was meant by another evasion with Airbending technique. "Hold still!", he demanded of her.  
  
Korra didn't react with a wisecrack. She kept her focus on evasion, using Earthbending counterattacks and holds only when Metallo gave her an opening. Tenzin would have applauded her Airbending skill and her uncustomary focus on defense. I hadn't seen her hold her ground like that since her abduction.  
  
Metallo adapted to her evasiveness with a bit of tactics. He made a swing at her that caused Korra to dodge to the right and, as before, she counterattacked with Earthbending. But this time he grabbed the resulting spike of rock as it emerged from the ground and ripped it away, twirling around and throwing it in the same move. Korra didn't have time to dodge it even as I called out to her. It knocked her out of the air and she went tumbling and rolling to a stop. She started to get up. Metallo jumped at her. To Korra the image of Zaheer plunging toward her was still strong and I had on doubt it took hold for a second. A second that enabled Metallo to get to her. He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up. "You have been a pest," he declared. "And I think...."  
  
Kal-El was back to his feet in a split second. He was a little slower, a little weaker, from the exposure to kryptonite, but with that sealed off from causing him any further harm he now had the advantage on Metallo and he pressed it. He grabbed the arm holding Korra and pulled it so hard that it ripped out of Metallo's shoulder. The robot cried out in surprise at having his limb torn away. Kal-El tore the hand off at the knuckles, freeing Korra and letting her gently onto the ground. He turned and faced Metallo as the metal man stumbled backward. Metallo knew it was over at that point. He still made a quixotic attempt to fire his damaged cannon with the other arm. Superman contemptuously batted the limb away and delivered a solid punch to Metallo's belly, below the lead covering, that dented in his armored skin and caused internal damage. A second punch increased the dent.  
  
Before a third punch could break in to the vulnerable electronics inside of him, Metallo threw his remaining arm up and fell backward. "I surrender!", he shouted. "I surrender!"  
  
I allowed myself a weak smile at hearing that. "About bloody time," I murmured irritably.  
  
  
  
  
Getting the reactor repaired was a lot easier with Kal-El's aid. Korra formed the pieces and he installed them, welding them with lead fittings using his heat vision.  
  
By the time we were done, the sun had started to lower into the afternoon sky. The TARDIS was out in the middle of the plant now while work crews diligently labored on fixing the broken coolant systems. "The reactor will take months to repair," I noted after a final scan. "But it could have been worse."  
  
"It would have been if not for you," Kal-El assured me. "You were in the right place at the right time."  
  
"Yes, something of a habit of mine," I remarked. I looked solidly at him. "About Zoom..."  
  
He held a hand up. "Kyle told us about what happened on Mogo. I don't approve of what you did, but I understand that you weren't in your right mind at the time. The fact you recognize what you did was wrong is enough for me. As far as I'm concerned, you've earned the right to a second chance."  
  
At that I sighed and smiled weakly. "Thank you, Kal-El. That means... quite a lot, actually."  
  
He smiled gently. "It was good working with you again. And your new Companion. Or Companions, I see."  
  
Asami was awake now. Her hair was soaked from where Korra was using Waterbending healing on the head injury she sustained from falling to the floor. Korra was kneeling beside her, focusing on the injury ahead of her own, just as she had mine. I could see it was also letting her get away, for the moment, from her frustration at her repeated issues with fighting.  
  
"Ah yes, formal introductions," I said. "Kal-El, this is Avatar Korra, the guardian of her world, and her friend Asami Sato. Korra, Asami, this is Kal-El, otherwise known as Superman."  
  
"'Superman'?", Asami asked.  
  
"A press invention, as I recall," I said. "I never quite remember, to be honest."  
  
"Thank you for your help today, young ladies," Kal-El said while offering handshakes. "You saved a lot of lives."  
  
"It was mostly you and the Doctor," Korra answered quietly. "I... honestly I didn't do so well."  
  
He looked at me. Korra's negative sentiments were easily felt by him. "Korra's been through some terrible times lately and it's caused her to have traumatic flashbacks when she's in a fight," I explained in a low voice.  
  
"It's not always easy," he agreed. "But I think you're selling yourself short."  
  
"I had him," Korra answered softly. "I could have beaten him if I didn't keep freezing up." A tear of frustration appeared on her face. "I'm not really much of a hero anymore."  
  
"Korra." Kal-El gently laid a hand on her left shoulder. "Sometimes things happen to us and it haunts us for a long time. It can cut away at our confidence and our resolve. It's frustrating to go through something like that. But however it effects you, it doesn't always change who you are. Not unless you allow it to." He looked her in the eyes. "The important thing is that it doesn't matter how many times you froze up or got knocked down. You kept getting back up when you had to. You saved lives today, Korra. You saved _my_ life. That proves to me you're a hero. You're as much a hero as I am." His smile was friendly and gentle. "I know you'll get over this."  
  
For a moment Korra didn't answer while tears moved down her cheeks. Finally she found her voice. "Thank you. I'll keep trying."  
  
"Of course you will. And if you ever need advice, ask the Doctor to bring you by the Watchtower. The League would be happy to give you a hand." Kal-El's head went up. "Sorry, I just got a call, there's an aircraft in distress." He nodded to us. "Take care everyone. It was a pleasure to meet you."  
  
And, like that, he was, well.... up, up, and away.  
  
We watched him disappear into the sky. "You know, I'm not even surprised he can fly," Asami said. "I mean, not as surprised, since it seems to be a regular thing in this cosmos."  
  
"It is not uncommon, yes," I said.  
  
Korra was silent for a moment. "Is he always like that? I mean, he's got all that power but..."  
  
"He meant every word of what he said to you, Korra. That's his... thing. He inspires people. There's a reason people still call him Superman," I said with a smile. "And it has nothing to do with the powers."  
  
Korra wiped one of the tears away. "He's right. I can beat this. I can. I just need time."  
  
"And time you shall get." I clapped a hand on her. "Well, ladies, this was an interesting yet painful diversion, but there are sapphire sands calling for us, and I could use a good break, can't you?"  
  
I was answered with nods of agreement. We all returned to the TARDIS and departed for other worlds.


End file.
